Floor Vent Booster Fan

Abstract

The invention consists of a vent booster fan, comprising: a) a vent housing, forming a vent which is operable for insertion into a ventilation duct; and defining a vent surface through which air flows from the duct; b) a fan assembly located within the vent housing, containing a fan operative to force air through the vent, the fan assembly located within the vent housing so as to be located substantially within the duct; c) an air deflector covering a portion of the vent surface sufficient to alter airflow from the vent.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of vents for airflow systems. In particular, it relates to a combination vent and fan to boost airflow through the vent.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One of the issues that arise in forced-air heating systems is the difficulty in ensuring adequate airflow into the ventilated area from the ventilation ducts. As the number of air outlets in the ductwork increases, and as the overall length of ductwork increases, the requirements for the starting airflow (i.e. fan power) increase as well. In some cases, the resulting airflow at some of all of the vents can be insufficient to provide proper ventilation, or even proper distribution of heating and cooling. One proposed method of overcoming this problem is through the use of additional ‘booster’ fans in the ductwork.

One type of booster fan, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,443 to Jackson, discloses a booster fan located in the ductwork behind the vent location. The fan is installed into the duct at a location recessed from the vent. As a result, the fan must generally be installed at the same time as the ductwork, or else substantial modifications to existing ductwork can be required. Additionally, access to the fan for repairs or replacement is extremely limited by the size of the duct and can be difficult to execute.

An alternative type of booster fan, as illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,593 to Asselbergs, discloses a booster fan mounted on the exterior of the vent. While this arrangement address the access and repair issues associated with the duct-mounted fan, the exterior protrusion of the fan from the vent limits the installation and use, as a fan can be easily dislodged and is not suitable for use in a ceiling or wall vent. Also, there is a loss in efficiency as compared with a fan mounted within the duct.

Thus, there is a need for a vent-mounted booster fan that provides for accessible installation and repair of the fan on a floor, ceiling or wall vent, and is additionally capable of providing efficient airflow boosting similar to a duct-mounted fan.

It is an object of this invention to partially or completely fulfill one or more of the above-mentioned needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention consists of a vent booster fan, comprising: a) a vent housing, forming a vent which is operable for insertion into a ventilation duct; and defining a vent surface through which air flows from the duct; b) a fan assembly located within the vent housing, containing a fan operative to force air through the vent, the fan assembly located within the vent housing so as to be located substantially within the duct; c) an air deflector covering a portion of the vent surface sufficient to alter airflow from the vent.

Preferably, the booster fan includes an adjustable shield covering a portion of the air deflector to enable adjustment of airflow.

Additional elements can include a switch to activate and deactivate the fan, and an indicator light to signal when the fan is in operation. Other additional elements include the provision of a temperature control element, being a heating or cooling element, or a combination thereof, to assist with heating and/or cooling of the ventilated area.

The booster fan can additionally include further elements including, but not limited to: carbon filters, air filters (HEPA filters), (de)ionizers, (de)humidifiers, and air flow sensors. Such additional elements can be included singly or in any combination.

Other and further advantages and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numbers refer to like elements, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the embodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the present invention containing multiple air flow and air purification elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The inventive apparatus presented herein consists of a floor vent booster fan 10, with a preferred embodiment as shown in FIG. 1. Note that the terms ‘front’, ‘back’ and ‘side’ are used herein for convenience and are not intended to reflect any specific orientation that is required for the booster fan 10.

A presently preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 1, with booster fan 10 preferably a unitary assembly that can be identified by three separate sections: vent section 100, deflector section 200 and fan section 300.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the vent section 100 consists of an outer frame 110 dimensioned to cover the opening into the duct. The outer frame 110 has a slotted opening 112 to permit air flow through the booster fan 10 into and out of the duct (not shown) while blocking the ingress and egress of small objects. The vent section 100 further includes a switch 104 to activate and deactivate the fan motor 302, and a power cord 102 to supply power to the fan motor 302 from an outside source. Preferably, an indicator light 106 is located on the outer frame 110 to provide a visual indication of the power status of the fan motor 302. Power cord 102 is preferably 120 V AC for use with standard residential/business power sockets.

As further shown in FIG. 2, the deflector section 200 is dimensioned to cover the slotted opening 112 in the outer frame 110 and consists of two parts. The first part is an air deflector grille 202 which protects the opening and moderate the air flow. The second part is an adjustable air shield 204, which can be rotated into different positions on the air deflector grille 202 to direct the air flow from the slotted opening 112 in a desired direction. The adjustment of adjustable air shield 204 is shown more clearly in FIG. 3.

As still further shown in FIG. 2, the fan section 300 consists of a fan motor 302 and a fan assembly 310 which is driven by the fan motor 302. Preferably, the fan assembly 310 consists of a ‘wind-wheel’ style rotary fan blade 312 connected to a rotating bearing assembly 314. The fan assembly 310 is protected by a fan cover 320, which is ventilated to provide airflow through the fan blade. The fan motor 302 is protected by a cover 304, which additionally combines with fan cover 320 to form the body of fan section 300. An insulated cover 316 is also provided to connect power cord 102 to fan motor 302. The vent section 100 and fan section 300 are joined together using screw or plug connectors 318, although other methods of fabrication, such as thermal welding, can be used.

Additionally, a temperature control element, being a heating or cooling element, or a combination thereof, can be mounted either as part of the slotted opening 112 or the fan assembly 310 to assist in heating and/or cooling air traveling through the booster fan 10.

When booster fan 10 inserted into a ventilation duct (not shown), vent section 100 is flush to the duct opening, with fan section 300 protruding into the duct, but secured by the vent section 100. If present, deflector section 200 extends outward from the duct opening to allow for control over the airflow direction. A top view of booster fan 10 as shown in FIG. 4 reflects the external appearance of the booster fan 10 when installed.

Booster fan 10 can be assembled from any known material in the art of ducts vents, including metals (aluminum), ceramics and plastics. However, preferred materials are heat-resistant, to prevent deformation from hot air traveling through the vent, and non-conductive, due to the use of an external electric power source.

The booster fan 10 can additionally include air purification elements and air flow monitoring elements as shown in FIG. 5. Air purification elements can include elements such as air filters (HEPA filters) 410, carbon filters 412, (de)ionizers 422 and (de)humidifiers 402. Air flow monitoring elements can include air flow sensors 420, as well as additional sensors 404, which can include sensors such as air temperature sensors and timers. Other exemplary elements are known in the art or may be developed in the future. Any booster fan 10 can include some or all of these elements as desired.

While the above apparatus has been presented in the context of a floor vent the apparatus is equally applicable for use in wall or ceiling vents as well.

This concludes the description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention. The foregoing description has been presented for the purpose of illustration and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended the scope of the invention be limited not by this description but by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A booster fan, comprising:

a) a vent housing, forming a vent which is operable for insertion into a ventilation duct; and defining a vent surface through which air flows from the ventilation duct;

b) a fan assembly located within the vent housing, containing a fan operative to force air through the vent, the fan assembly located within the vent housing so as to be located substantially within the ventilation duct;

c) an air deflector grille covering a portion of the vent surface, said air deflector grille being of sufficient size to alter airflow from the vent.

2. The booster fan of claim 1, further comprising:

d) an adjustable shield covering a portion of the air deflector grille to enable adjustment of airflow direction from the vent.

3. The booster fan of claim 1, further comprising a temperature control element, the temperature control element being one of: a heating element, a cooling element, and a combination thereof, and the temperature control element being operative to heat and cool, respectively, air flowing through the booster fan.

4. The booster fan of claim 3, wherein the temperature control element is mounted within the vent housing.

5. The booster fan of claim 3, wherein the temperature control element is mounted within the fan assembly.

6. The booster fan of claim 2, further comprising a temperature control element, the temperature control element being one of: a heating element, a cooling element, and a combination thereof, and the temperature control element being operative to heat and cool, respectively, air flowing through the booster fan.

7. The booster fan of claim 6, wherein the temperature control element is mounted within the vent housing.

8. The booster fan of claim 6, wherein the temperature control element is mounted within the fan assembly.

9. The booster fan of claim 1, wherein the booster fan is powered by an external power source and the vent includes a power cable to couple the booster fan to the external power source.

10. The booster fan of claim 1, wherein the booster fan is a single ‘wind wheel’ style rotary fan.

11. The booster fan of claim 1, further including a switch located on the vent housing, exterior to the ventilation duct, to enable activation and deactivation of the booster fan and an indicator light located on the vent housing to signal operation of the booster fan.

12. The booster fan of a claim 1, further including one or more air purification elements and air flow monitoring elements.

13. The booster fan of claim 12, wherein the air purification elements include one or more of: an air filter, a carbon filter, an ionizer and a dehumidifier.

14. The booster fan of claim 12, wherein the air flow monitoring elements include one or more air flow sensors.

15. The booster fan of a claim 3, further including one or more air purification elements and air flow monitoring elements.

16. The booster fan of a claim 6, further including one or more air purification elements and air flow monitoring elements.

17. The booster fan of claim 3, wherein the booster fan is powered by an external power source and the vent includes a power cable to couple the booster fan to the external power source.

18. The booster fan of claim 6, wherein the booster fan is powered by an external power source and the vent includes a power cable to couple the booster fan to the external power source.

19. The booster fan of claim 9, further including a switch located on the vent housing, exterior to the ventilation duct, to enable activation and deactivation of the booster fan and an indicator light located on the vent housing to signal operation of the booster fan.

20. The booster fan of claim 17, further including a switch located on the vent housing, exterior to the ventilation duct, to enable activation and deactivation of the booster fan and an indicator light located on the vent housing to signal operation of the booster fan.